The present invention relates to a connector having a mechanism operable to protect a contact in a state where the connector is not mated with a mating connector.
This type of connector is disclosed in JP-A2000-171724. A connector disclosed in JP-A2000-171724 includes a connector body connectable to a mating connector and a protective cover for covering contacts of the connector body when the connector body is not connected to the mating connector.
In the connector disclosed in JP-A2000-171724, the contacts of the connector body are protected by the protective cover separate from the connector body that forms a connection interface for the mating connector. Therefore, the number of parts is increased, and the size of the connector is increased.
Furthermore, in the connector disclosed in JP-A2000-171724, if a force is applied rearward to a front end of the protective cover when the connector body is not connected to the mating connector, the protective cover might move rearward. As a result, the contacts might unintentionally be exposed.